Kesha returned with a cup of water for Cesar, finding everyone huddled together.

She couldn't shake off the feeling that Al was intentionally trying to distance himself again. She overheard snippets of their conversation. "We need to return at night," Al said, to which Jin vehemently disagreed, "No, that's far too dangerous!"

Al noticed Kesha behind them. After briefly pretending nothing was amiss, he offered Kesha a ride back.

After the incident in the church, Al became overly protective of his mother. He insisted on helping her out of her car. "Al, relax. Your friends might think I'm sick or incompetent," Alice urged to back off. Reluctantly, he complied.

Meanwhile, Cesar, Kesha, Ellie, and Jin observed near Al's car from a distance.

Ellie had chosen to tell Kesha everything.

"The way we all met was actually inside a mountain as a group of seven. We trained together for a few months under the same teacher, the Captain of the 23 Supreme Seed," Ellie explained.

Cesar and Jin looked at each other with wry smiles, unsure how to respond.

Kesha, intrigued, asked, "Haha, wow, you take role-playing games seriously." She was uncertain whether to believe the cheerful girl's account.

There were no set rules about discussing the Leaf Rings or cultivating Will with ordinary people. Just as Ellie was about to clarify that she was not discussing a game, Al interjected, "Hahaha, ignore Ellie. She takes our gaming a little too seriously." Al signaled Ellie, Jin, and Cesar to get into his house before saying goodbye to Kesha.

Later that night, the four of them returned to the church in Al's car, deliberating on how to gain access. "We just need to retrieve that bronze container for the eucharist. Maybe the God Leafs will know what to do with it," Al explained.

"That bronze container is called a Cibrium, by the way," Cesar informed the group, who gave him a look of respect. Although he was the captain of their phantom seed, they knew he wasn't the brightest.

The group had already made up their mind to support Al's plan. Jin had already voiced his opinion about avoiding entering the church and simply reporting the issue. "I seem to be the odd one out here. But I suppose the whole point of being a team is to stick together. That being said, I only ask that we don't split up as we did in our first task," Jin clarified.

Cesar flinched, recalling their first task. "You got it! No matter what happens, we won't separate," he agreed, and they sealed the deal with a handshake. They opened the car trunk, retrieving their gray robes, which were resistant to tearing or ripping.

Suddenly, a familiar voice approached the group. "What the hell are you guys doing?" The voice rang out, catching their attention. "Uh, we work for the church, and we have nightly duties to perform," Al quickly improvised, thinking on his feet.

The voice walked out from the shadows, revealing Kesha. She laughed at Al's improvised lie and calmly peered behind their group, catching sight of the open trunk and seeing a crooked knife, a spear, and a stone emblem.

Covering up the trunk, Al got in front of Kesha. "Anyway, why are you here? Were you spying on us?" Al blurted out.

Kesha stared at Al without saying a word. He could see her desire for honesty through her eyes, which caused Al to look shamefully away.

Finally, she hit her breaking point and softly spoke: "Really, Al? You know how hard I've tried to be here for you. I don't understand what I did to make you want to push me away. Since Mark's death, you've been pushing me away."

Al could see the tears and the pain. The only thing his friend wanted was to be there for him. At that moment, Al pondered whether revealing the truth would be worse than leaving her in bitter confusion.

"Kesha! You're right. I shouldn't treat a friend the way I've treated you. I should have been honest with you from the beginning. But you should know after I tell you the truth, you will never see the world the same again."

Kesha nodded, and Al hastily explained everything that had occurred, from Mark's death to his encounter with Cesar, how they had almost died in their fight against hybrids and a dark acolyte.

While Al explained the truth to his friend, Jin surveyed the church grounds.

Once Ellie became invisible in front of Kesha's eyes, she believed everything Al had said.

"Wow, that's so badass! I mean, it's awful what happened to Mark. May he rest in peace. And the fact that the church is harboring a potentially dangerous secret is terrifying. But still, she just went fucking invisible in front of us," Kesha was nearly shouting.

Al unexpectedly welcomed her reaction. Trying to be quick, he said, "Listen, Kesha. I need you to wait in your car. We'll be back soon. If you want to help us, honk a horn if you spot any cops or military personnel,"

Kesha reluctantly agreed and returned to her car. The entire exchange had taken less than five minutes.

Ellie invisibly accompanied the trio and found themselves behind the church. Jin efficiently surveyed the area, using his Lightning Will to disable any visible cameras with a brief surge of electricity.

The only obstacle in their way was a locked door.

Cesar raised his spear, preparing to swing it at the door forcefully, but Al swiftly intervened and pointed upwards, concerned that he would make too much noise.

With a spear swing, a mighty wind carried Cesar into the air and landed on the roof's edge. Jin and Al exchanged impressed glances.

After a minute or two, a resounding crash emanated from within the building. "I suppose he still needs to work on his landings," Al whispered, causing Jin to chuckle.

The locked door in front of them was suddenly swung open, revealing Cesar on the other side.

The four entered, with Ellie silently closing the door behind her. The cathedral's interior was shrouded in darkness, but Ellie's floating mirror reflected even the smallest amount of light, giving them a dim illumination.

"Let's find the ciborium quickly and make our way out of here," Jin's tone was filled with concern.

They quickly moved to the main altar, where the priest had performed the eucharist.

Cesar swiftly located the ciborium and reached out to pick it up as soon as his fingers made contact with the metal vessel, a searing sensation akin to touching red-hot iron shot through his arm.

Despite Cesar's desperate attempts, he could not release his grip. The searing pain transformed into tearing agony that spread through his entire body, reaching his organs and threatening to rip his heart. Cesar began crying out in excruciating torment.

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Al reacted swiftly, delivering a powerful kick to Cesar, forcefully breaking his grip on the ciborium and separating him from it.

Al removed his underrobe and cautiously picked up the ciborium, signaling Jin to assist Cesar. They made their way toward the exit, their footsteps echoing through the building. The sound of a door opening echoed, followed by heavy footsteps.

"What's with all the noise? Security has already been alerted!" an old man shouted at the group of four.

"Take care of him. Knock him out without causing harm." Al whispered to Ellie, who immediately became invisible.

As the old man continued shouting at the group, a loud thud was heard, followed by the old man's collapse. The group resumed their exit, but to their surprise, they encountered Kesha, who was out of breath.

"Some strange vans have pulled up. I didn't honk to avoid their suspicion, but they have blocked the street exit a block away, and they're slowly approaching," she said between gasps for air.

Al's mind raced as he processed the information. Meanwhile, the unconscious old man behind them began to convulse and shake violently, foaming at the mouth.

"Oh my god, I killed him!" Ellie exclaimed, horrified.

Before anyone could approach the unconscious man, his body continued to shake violently, contorting in unnatural ways, with bones audibly snapping. Heaving and gagging, he struggled to expel a massive ball of bright light.

The ball seemed to have legs as it forced its way out of the poor man's mouth, knocking his teeth out and leaving a bloody mess.

A small humanoid-like creature emerged with wings, a tail, and a featureless face. It began running away as its host's body was left in a growing puddle of his blood.

The scene unfolded utterly bizarrely, leaving Al and the others stunned. Kesha could not see the etheric creature that exited the old man's mouth, but she could see the aftermath it created. Overwhelmed by shock, she vomited.

"Quick, kill that thing!" Cesar shouted, his voice filled with urgency, as he hurled his spear with astonishing speed. The humanoid creature displayed nimble agility, barely evading the deadly strike as it took flight.

Jin followed up by unleashing a rapid succession of tiny lightning bolts. One bolt landed, causing the creature to fall from the air and crash to the ground, but the small humanoid being wasted no time and continued fleeing, darting through the door of the room the old man had emerged from.

Moving faster than the others, Al swiftly entered the room where the creature had fled.

Inside, a desk and numerous shelves filled with books and bibles greeted his eyes. However, one shelf had been knocked over, revealing a manhole. Without hesitation, Al jumped in, plunging into the darkness. Because his Stubborn Will was from the material plane, he could see clearly in the dark.

His etheric shell, a small ring that manifested his Stubborn Will, warned him, "To your right." Al thought, bolting to the right, ignoring the warning. "Left," the ring affirmed. Al swiftly turned, and before he knew it, he caught sight of the creature, its pace quickening.

He closed in on it, driving his knife into its small torso, determined to eliminate the threat.

As Al's blade pierced the small angelic being, a white mist flowed from its body and was swiftly absorbed by Al's ring. The ring seemed to possess a distinct appetite for the specific white mist.

A roar reverberated throughout the tunnel system, causing Al to wonder if killing the small creature had anything to do with it. He sprinted back to the entrance, not wanting to stay and find out.

By the time everyone, including Kesha, reached the room with the desk and bookshelves, Al was already ascending from the manhole, just in time to meet them.

Emerging, Al urgently spoke, "We need to leave."

Cesar swiftly motioned for him to quiet down and began explaining that armed men had surrounded the church.

Al pointed towards the manhole. "I guess we have no choice. Everyone, jump in. I'll go last and cover the manhole myself with the shelf to buy us some time."

Everyone leaped into the hole without hesitation except for Kesha, who hesitated momentarily. Al gazed at her and reassured her. "Kesha, do you trust me?" Her eyes met his. Kesha nodded and descended into the hole, with Al following closely behind.

At the top of the manhole ladder, Al exerted all his strength to pull the bookshelf over the hole, ensuring their temporary safety. He joined the rest of the group.

At the bottom of the sewer, Ellie utilized her mirror to illuminate the repugnant tunnel. Al swiftly moved to the front of the group, taking the lead. He wanted to go opposite from where the creature had fled.

"Let's go this way. We have to get as far away from here as possible," Al said as they ran through the sewer labyrinth, which had twists and turns.

Cesar was running beside Al. The two were attempting to avoid stepping on rats scurrying about.

"Do you know where you're going?" Cesar asked.

"Nope, I'm just hoping to find a ladder to get the hell out of this place," Al responded, making a sudden left turn. The group began looking for a ladder as they continued their run.

Kesha stumbled and fell, prompting Al to halt and signal the others to continue running.

"This is all so insane, Al. I don't know if I can do it," Kesha expressed, her voice filled with despair as she struggled to hold back tears.

Al offered her a comforting smile. "Relax, we're going to be okay. Just trust me. Get on my back so we can move faster," he extended his hand. Typically, Kesha would have found his proposition amusing, but given the gravity of the situation, she swiftly hopped onto Al's back.

With Kesha on board, Al increased his speed significantly, carrying her while sprinting through the tunnels to catch up to the rest. In no time, Al could hear the voices of Jin and Cesar. They had stopped running.

A room illuminated by Ellie's mirror slowly appeared as Al and Kesha entered. Kesha got off Al's back as they surveyed the reason for their sudden halt and found themselves frozen in place.

The first thing that caught Al's attention were the rows upon rows of egg-like embryos, each containing a miniature version of the creature he had slain. One of the eggs had already been shattered, with the fetus inside destroyed.

It lay before Jin, leaving Cesar and Ellie visibly conflicted. Before anyone could address Al's entrance, he shook his head and spoke with conviction, "You saw what they did to that old man. That could have been my mother or Kesha's family. Cesar, you live close by; your family could be next. We need to kill every last one before leaving."

Cesar and Jin, who had grasped the gravity of the situation, agreed to eliminate the embryos.

Ellie silently retreated and became invisible. The three remaining members unleashed a frenzy of slashing, stabbing, and electric attacks, leaving behind a gruesome trail of broken fetus parts that would evaporate into a white mist.

"I can feel the light. My connection to my etheric shell is growing stronger. These must be Light Acolytes, etheric creatures of a similar nature, Dark Acolytes," Jin exclaimed, his voice tinged with madness.

Cesar turned to Jin and shared a similar sentiment: "I feel it, too. But my etheric shell seems to have a bottomless appetite."

Meanwhile, the ring on Al's finger slowed down its absorption of the mist as if it had already consumed its fill. On the other hand, his knife rejected the white mist as it had rejected the black mist of the dark acolytes.

Al turned to Cesar and proposed that Jin absorb the remaining mist from the Light Acolyte embryos. Cesar agreed. Jin expressed his gratitude and continued.

Kesha, positioned near the room's entrance, watched the events unfold. She couldn't see any embryos or creatures. They were merely swinging their weapons through the air. Suddenly, she was forcefully pushed out before disappearing.

Cesar was ready to leap towards the entrance, concerned for Kesha's safety, but Al stopped him. Al knew Ellie was the one who had pulled Kesha. She was trying to keep her safe, but from what?

Everything happened in an instant. A flash of light entered the room, hurtling towards Jin, who was down to his final row of embryos. Reacting swiftly, Al seized his chain and knife, swinging it to block the light's movement.

However, the "light" turned out to be something entirely unexpected—a 9-foot angelic being.

The creature was a giant compared to Al. It was oblivious to the resistance Al had given him. Its focus was entirely on Jin smashing another embryo.

The deformed angelic being twisted its head 180 degrees, revealing a wrapped face, its head tightly bandaged.

It pierced Al's stomach before Al could release his grip on the angelic being. Its hand resembled a pike that tore into Al, tearing out his organs in the process.

Kesha began screaming in horror, giving Ellie's position away.

Meanwhile, seizing the opportunity, Cesar launched himself at the creature, aiming to decapitate it with a powerful thrust of his spear.